Michael Dukakis

Michael Dukakis, the former Democratic presidential nominee, could be appointed to fill John Kerry's Senate seat as a "placeholder," reports indicate. Kerry is expected to be named secretary of state by President Barack Obama.

With Kerry then moving out of the Senate, Governor Deval Patrick will have to appoint someone to replace Kerry. That person could be Dukakis, if Patrick is looking only for a "placeholder," someone who would not run in the special election for that Senate seat.

But Kerry has not officially been nominated for the secretary of state position.

In my column on Wednesday, I drew a comparison between the Obama administration and the Jimmy Carter administration of 1977-1981, arguing that both were engaging in political theater in lieu of real power to affect the fundamentals of the American economy.